Evacuation warnings issued for Townsend Creek, Branch Road areas due to wildfires
The Cariboo Regional District has issued two emergency alerts due to wildfire risks in the Townsend Creek and Branch Road area.
The first warning issued Saturday night covers eight parcels covering about 15 square miles due to the Townsend Creek wildfire.
The fire was discovered Saturday afternoon and is believed to have been sparked by lightning. Listed as out of control fires, it currently covers 1.1 square kilometers, about 2.5 kilometers east of Margaret Lake.
The district also issued an evacuation alert for 27 lots in the side road area, covering more than 193 square kilometers.
The BC Wildfire Service says the wildfire on Branch Road discovered Friday evening is out of control and has spread for nearly a mile. The service says a helicopter, three pieces of heavy equipment, including a bulldozer, an excavator and a water tender and other resources are responding to the fire.
Residents are told to be prepared to leave with little to no notice.
Earlier in the day, Recreation Sites and Trails BC and the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District issued an evacuation order for the Kager Lake campground and Trails and Boer Mountain trail system due to the danger posed by the Tintagel wildfire.
That fire is also burning out of control, covering 1.5 square miles and continuing to spread.
Late Saturday night, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure closed a 12-kilometer stretch of the Highway 27 corridor between Blue Mountain Road and Kenner Road as a precautionary measure after the Tsah Creek wildfire breached control lines.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2023.
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